Metering carton



April 7, 1959 N. H. KANTOR 2,880,915

METERING CARTON Filed Nov. 2v, 195s FIG.4

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent() METERING CARTON Norman Howard Kantor, Flushing, N.Y.

Application November 27, 1956, Serial No. 624,599

8 Claims. (Cl. 222-456) This invention relates to cartons for soap powder or the like and, more particularly to novel and simple means for automatically metering the amount of material discharged from the carton.

Powdered cleaning and laundering commodities, such as soap powders and detergents are packaged in cardboard cartons, usually equipped with pouring spouts of metal or carboard to facilitate dispensing the powdered material. Most automatic laundries or washing machines require a predetermined and accurately measured quantity of soap powder or detergent, sometimes varied in accordance with the load to be washed. Such quantity may, for example, be a fraction of a cupful, such as a quarter cupful, half cupful, etc. It is generally relatively ditiicult to measure such a quantity with any exactitude, even when measuring cups and similar devices are used, and considerable wastage results.

In accordance with the invention, such ditliculties are avoided and wastage substantially eliminated by a powdered material carton having self-contained metering means. More particularly, the top wall and one end wall of the carton, adjacent a corner edge at which a pouring spout is located, are provided with one or more transverse slits extending thereacross at pre-set distances from such corner edges.

The side walls of the carton, inwardly from such slits have strips of cardboard secured thereto in parallel spaced relation to form guides for the edges of cardboard slides or gates inserted through the slits. These slides or gates abut each other within the carton to seal off a part thereof having a pre-set volume such as a cup, a half cup, or a quarter cup.

To use the carton, one slide is at least partially withdrawn and the carton is tilted as if to pour but with the pour spout closed. This lls the pre-set volume. The slide is then pushed in to seal olf the volume and the pour spout is opened to pour a metered quantity of the powder.

For an understanding of the invention principles, reference is made to the following description of typical embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a carton embodying the invention before insertion of the slides;

Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the slides in position;

Fig. 3 is a partial vertical sectional View of the pouring corner of the carton;

Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views on the correspondingly numbered lines of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a partial sectional view through one form of slide; and

Fig. 7 is a partial elevation view of another form of slide.

Referring to Figs. l and 2, a cardboard soap powder carton 10 is illustrated as having a top wall 11, side walls 12 and 13, and end wall 14. A pouring spout 15 of any suitable type is movably mountedV in wall 11 to normally close a pouring opening 16 therein. Alternatively,

. 2,880,915 Patented Apr. 7, 1959 the spout and opening could be in end wall 14. By way of example, spout 15 is illustrated as a metal channel hinged to wall 14 by a wire staple 17 and having limit ears 18.

In accordance with the invention, walls 11 and 14 are formed with slits 20 extending transversely completely thereacross to receive intersecting cardboard slides or gates 25 and 25. The spacing ofslits 20 from corner 19 is such that the volume of the cartonfcut oit by gates 25, 25' is equal to one cup of soap powder. Alternatively, additional slits 20 can be formed between slits 20 and corner 19 so that gates or slides therein will cut off one-half cup of soap powder.

Spaced parallel cardboard strips 21 (Fig. 3) extend vertically downward along the inner surfaces of walls 12 and 13 from top slit 20. Strips 21 are adhesively secured to the walls and form guides for gate or slide 25. Similar strips 22 extend horizontally inward along walls 12 and 14 from end wall slit 20 to guide slide or gate 25.

In Figs. l and 2, gates 25, 25 are shown as having aps 26, 26 limited inward movement thereof. Fig. 6 illustrates a slide 25A as having a metal channel 27 crimped over its outer edge to act as a stop. In Fig. 7, slide 25B is illustrated as T-shape with ears 28.

In operation, gates 25, 25 are inserted in slits 20 with gate 25' abutting gate 25. With spout 15, closed, slide 25' is partially withdrawn and carton 10 is tilted to ll the pour corner with powder. Gate 25 is then pushed in its full limit and spout 15 is opened to pour the one cup of powder cut o by gates 25, 25.

The gates may be furnished with the carton as by releasably attaching the gates to a wall or walls of the carton. Slits 20 may be initially only perforated lines, so that either the full cup or one-half cup slits may be opened. The gates may have tear-off inner ends for shortening the gates for use with the half-cut slits which also would have guide strips 21 or 22 extending therefrom.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the invention principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

l. In a substantially rectangular carton adapted to contain powdered material and having a top wall and edge wall intersecting at a corner edge, side walls, and a pour spout at such corner edge, metering means comprising, in combination, slits formed in said top and edge each at a pre-set distance from said corner edge; and substantially ilat slides insertable through corresponding slits in the top and edge walls to extend respectively parallel to the edge and top walls to abut each other within the carton at such pre-set distances from the top and edge walls; said slides extending between said side walls to dene a pre-set volume within the carton whereby, when one slide is at least partly withdrawn, and the carton tilted to pour with the pour spout closed, the preset volume will be lled with the powdered material so that, upon re-insertion of said one slide and opening of the pour spout, a metered quantity of material is dispensed from the carton.

2. A carton as claimed in claim l including guide means on the inner surfaces of each side wall extending inwardly from each slit normal to the wall in which the slit is formed to maintain said slides normal to such walls.

3. A carton as claimed in claim 2 in which each guide means comprises a pair of spaced parallel strips secured to a side wall and conjointly forming a groove for an edge of a slide.

4.'A carton as :`la'inied Iin claim 1 including means onmeach slide limiting insertion thereof vinto the carton.

5. A carton as claimed in yclaim 4 in which said limiting means comprises llaps extending transversely of each slide and engageable ywith therespective top Ior-edgewvall.

r6. A'carton as claimediin'claim v4 in-whichsaidilimiting means comprises laterally projecting ears atthe'outer vend of each slide engageable with the respective top `or References Cited in the file of this patent UNiTED STATES PATENTS Re. 24,000 Saneholtz May 10, 1955 2,318,676 Deland May 11, 1943 2,335,363 Shelton NOV. 30, 1943 

